Economic Highlights
New Delhi, 2 March 2012
Trade Unions Stir
DEFINING ‘INCLUSIVE GROWTH’
By Shivaji Sarkar
Trade unions have risen like the Phoenix. In recent history never
has an all-India strike been as successful as it was on February 28. Trade unions owing allegiance to various political
parties, the Congress, the Left and the Sangh joined hands.
Eleven central trade unions -- BMS, INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC,
AICCTU, UTUC, LPF, SEWA -- backed the strike call, supported by 5000 trade union
units, posing a major challenge to the Central government, which had asked the
unionists to call off the show of strength.
“This is a
historic occasion. For the first time all the big trade unions have come
together to protest the anti-labour polices of the Government,” stated General
Secretaries of the Bharaitya Mazdoor Sangh BN Roy and All India Trade Union
Congress’s Gurudas Dasgupta.
Employees of all sectors banking,
insurance, road transport, coal, defence, port & docks, steel and many State
governments joined the strike. Spectacularly the casual workers of the
unorganised sector participated even in rural areas including those in Aasha and Anaganwadis. Additionally, for the first time the strike was total
in nother easter States of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, which have remained away
from the mainstream.
The successful strike, joined by
millions across the nation testifies that the workers are once again uniting
against an oppressive system and unresponsive regime. At the same time, Governments
in many States unleashed repressive measures. Delhi’s Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit imposed
provisions of ESMA to thwart the strike and also arrested 200 workers. The Haryana
police arrested State Road Transport workers at Bhiwani. In Jammu and Kashmir, there were lathicharges
and 2000 arrests. In Chhattisgarh, security men of a large private group beat
up workers, whereas union activists were arrested in Pondicherry.
The unions’ demands include a
national minimum wage, permanent jobs for 50 million contract labourers, end to
contract labour, increase the gratuity payout and compulsory registration
of trade unions within 45 days, more government efforts to rein in the rising
cost of living, and an end to the sale of stakes in profitable public sector companies.
The charter of demand called upon the Government and all political
parties to take stock of the situation and not view the strike as retrograde. Unfortunately
trade unionism, of late, is being viewed as anti-industry and anti-investment,
which it clearly isn’t.
On its part, the industry has tried to
project that thousands of crore of rupees were lost in the one-day strike,
which is not the case. While industries
have lost little, the workers have lost a day’s wages amounting to at least Rs
10,000 crore. Besides, the industrialist gained from the savings on various
expenses including energy consumption.
However, the strike calls for introspection. Why should the workers willingly
lose a day’s wages? They would not do so unless driven to the wall. Inflation,
poor quality of jobs and the culture of hire and fire have forced them to strike.
Sadly, inclusive growth has become a mere slogan of the Government. Corporate
reserves and profits have grown manifold even as public sector bank deposits
have become critical and workers marginalised. How can the nation progress if
its 60 crore workforce is kept out of the growth process?
Indeed, this is the reality. If the
nation’s growth is stunted losing pace every day, it is because the workers
have become victims of high inflation, exploitation, low wages, insecurity and are
being deprived of sheer purchasing power.
A nation that ignores its workers is
destined to lose the growth steam. India has definitely lost that in all
sectors, be it infrastructure, core sector, banking or now even the services.
The deprived workers troubled by high inflation and low wages are not
contributing to the country’s growth.
This apart, the obsession with foreign
direct investment (FDI) does not add to growth unless there is consumption. And
the workers need to be enabled to consume. This is not happening as the industrialists
are smart. They are sitting quiet over their large deposits because they are
aware of the fact that their gain is the nation’s loss! Saving on wages both by
the Government and industry has led the nation to the most difficult situation.
The recession in the West is only partially responsible for it. If a nation
ignores its most important capital, people, then it is bound to get mired into a
crisis against its wishes.
Take the case of implementation of
minimum wages. This is a prerogative of the State governments, but many don’t
even have it, forcing the workers in many cases to do without basic survival
wages. Likewise, both the industry and the Government often call for labour
reforms, but these boil down to further curtailment of their rights and
comforts and a regime of hire and fire.
The employers virtually have usurped
illegally the right to deny Provident Fund, Gratuity and wage dues. They lay
off employees and declare lock outs at will without the requisite statutory
permission. Worse, officials of Government ignore the industry lobbyists’
misdeeds and the labour department rarely implements the laws except when it
can extort. Hence, trade unionists have rightly called the strike a wake-up
call for the Government.
Since 1991, the era of liberalisation
has seen massive job cuts, poor quality employment, large deprivation and
workers’ families being reduced to below poverty level. It was hoped that after
the 2007 Lehman bankruptcy, the Government would at least take drastic action
to lead the corporates to follow the correct path. This hasn’t happened. Rather
they were rewarded with sops that they didn’t need and only fattening their
coffers further.
The February 28 strike is not the end
but the beginning of a new era of vibrant trade unionism. European nations like
Greece, Spain, Italy,
Ireland,
are today seeing a severe backlash from the working class. In the US this class
is leading the “Occupy Wall Street” movement. These are loud signals for the Centre
and it must act in favour of the working class. The nation needs reforms but
not what was planned by Manmohan Singh when he was Finance Minister. Those
reforms were neither pro-industry nor pro-worker but pro-corporate.
Today, Singh as Prime Minister
expresses concern as the growth pace is slowing down. But if it is genuine then
he needs to heed to the strike call and usher in programmes that would create
jobs and ensure workers’ happiness. If he fails to listen, whatever growth so
far would be a thing of the past and may even slide back to the historic
Nehruvian Hindu rate of growth of two per cent! If Singh wants the nation to
survive, he must as the first step, accept the demands of the 11 trade unions,
it’s the basic minimum.
Growth without happiness is a misnomer.
Workers have started uniting and this is the biggest hope. Indeed, they are the
biggest stakeholders and could usher in the most necessary change. With their
participation, growth could eventually become inclusive. Are the policy
planners listening? ---INFA
(Copyright, India
News and Feature Alliance)
|